Les Saisies advice

A snowHead

Hi all we're looking at booking Les Saisies for Feb half term (17th - 24th) It seems to meet what we're looking for in terms of family friendly and some lovely looking, gentle slopes, but I'm a bit concerned about the height of the resort and the slopes. Last year, we were in Alpe d'huez in Feb and the conditions on the lower slopes were really poor (although I know it was poor in a lot of places) In previous years, we've been at Christmas and gone high. The websites suggest that snow conditions should be fine, but just wondered if that's actually the case, based on people's experiences?
Also, and sorry if this is an impossible question to answer, but I wondered if it 'feels' as busy as the larger resorts (only really been to large resorts) or does it feel worse as it's smaller, so less space to spread out? I know it's Feb, and everywhere in France will be really busy but we're tied to school holidays. If snow conditions are poor in the lower villages nearby, do more people come up to the Les Saisies slopes and does that make a noticeable difference? Thanks for any info

A snowHead

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@Wolvo, I've not been there (yet). I'm interested by your comment that it's "smaller". Where are you comparing it to? According to openskimap (who appear to project the runs onto an actual map and measure their length), it's bigger than Alpe d'Huez for example and only slightly smaller that the Tignes / Val d'Isere area. Granted, it may be that due to the lowness of some of the runs, they're closed more than at some of the high altitude resorts that are better known to UK skiers. I'll be interested to see how big it feels when I visit in a few weeks' time.

In terms of your questions about how busy the resort is, have you tried a forum search? It comes up fairly often.

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@pam w, is the LS expert here, but we went there for years in half term, and yes, there will be good snow as the town is at 1600 m. There will be crowds, but if you commit to avoiding the Bisanne and Chard du Beurre lifts after 1000 you should be ok. Roche blanche is another pinch point. If the snow is good across the Espace Diamant you will be fine as the crowds will be spread out.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

The best bet - like any busy French resorts - is to start early, stop about 1130 for a hearty snack then ski all through lunchtime. Maybe another pause when the afternoon ski school sessions are starting.

If the snow is good get out of the Saisies bowl - other parts of the domaine are much less crowded.

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I don't think that follows! Probably a bit of sales talk. Les Saisies is the busiest part of the Espace Diamant. But only busy at Christmas/ New Year and French winter holidays.

After all it is free

Thanks for your responses. I double checked the French holidays and 2 zones (including Paris) are on holiday that week!

It's a bit of a hearts and head dilemma - I wanted to go to Les Saisies last year (but we went to Alpe d'huez instead) year and still really want to go. It looks perfect for me - I was a cautious intermediate but lost all confidence and need to rebuild, but as we're tied to UK holidays, I thought Feb might be best in terms of snow. Last year was our first time in the French Alps in Feb, and I said never again! We drive, so realistically only looking at France.

Maybe it's got to be a last minute decision - if the snow's good, then it might be manageable, but if conditions lower down are poor, then it's probably a no.
Failing that, our other option is Easter (30th March - 6th Apr) which we've never done before. @pam w, in your experience what's the likelihood of decent snow at that time of year? Or would we be better to look elsewhere.

Hmm. The Paris holidays are the worst, but that's true everywhere, not just Les Saisies. The chances are that most, or all, of the ED will be open in February and yes, Les Saisies would be ideal for a cautious intermediate. The problem with a last minute decision will be lack of choice of accommodation - and perhaps difficulties with ski school slots. I'm wondering if you'd be better off, from the crowds point of view, in a different centre. Maybe Notre Dame de Bellecombe 1350 or Praz sur Arly. But none is as good as Saisies for easy runs and ease of getting about.

We were there for first week of April 2023 when, ironically, the snow was better than it had been just about all that miserable season - we were very lucky. It was by no means great - there were a lot of closed runs - but there were so few people it didn't get crowded. Personally I would choose that week over a Paris half term week, particularly for self-driving. The French have given up skiing by then. Accommodation is far cheaper and the roads infinitely easier for driving.

Obviously there are no guarantees for snow. But it would be unusual not to have a decent spread of runs open in Saisies and you'd probably not want to go too far afield.

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Personally I'd opt for Easter over Feb half term, especially if driving. However we go to the highest resorts in France to be safe. You could certainly book much later if going at Easter and see if snow quality is good in your first choice resorts and, if not, look elsewhere. There should be plenty of (cheaper) accommodation available.

We've been in Feb half term for many years (although have friends with kids who are fully committed to Easter) - however our half term dates now totally clash with Paris week. In 2023 we went to the Grand Massif in Feb (as it was GCSE year) and it was chokka - worst would be pinch points (blue slopes) that were needed to head back to your resort. I'm a good intermediate and found it off putting!

If going in Feb (which we'll need to do again in 2025 due to GCSEs)....and I understand it'll clash with Paris week again.....I'd be looking to book a year in advance and ideally get a Sunday to Sunday booking.

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@Wolvo, We've been to Les Saisies a few times. It has an excellent snow record and would normally be fine snow wise at half term. It also has plenty of gentle slopes and is a good place to build up your confidence. It tends to attract families with young children meaning less chance of encountering people skiing too fast for their ability than in some of the more well known resorts.

We have always been there early season (December/January) and last time we stayed at Residence Amaya which was A1 and located on the slopes. If you are driving you would be able to drive into town in the evening if necessary. Alternatively Les Cimes is located in the centre of the resort but not as luxurious as Amaya.

You mention w/c 30th March is a possibility: We have often skied in early April (Montgenevre, La Rosiere, Grand Massif, Val Cenis, Sainte Foy, Les Arcs) and all have been good. I would say Montgenevre would be the best of these for the skiing you are looking for.

We have used Peak Retreats many times over the last 15 years, mainly self-drive, and they have always been very good.

Thanks you've given me lots to think about.

You know it makes sense.

@Wolvo, I don't know anything about the Chalet Cosy but it's well located and looks very nice - albeit very expensive!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Wolvo, If you go at half term one way of avoiding the traffic on the way back would be to ski on the final saturday and leave the resort at 3 and stop overnight at Troyes or Reims. From your post above I'm wondering if you went via Paris last time? I would definitely avoid driving near Paris or on the A6. The A39 is quieter.

I haven't heard of Chalet Cosy.

We have been to Montgenevre at Christmas and Easter. Neither were busy compared with the more well known resorts and Easter was quieter than Christmas particularly the time we went in the second week of April. Although bear in mind that if you choose the second week of April the Italian side including Claviere may have shut. This is nothing to do with anticipated snow depths..the Italian side shuts in early April every year. I haven't been there at half term.

We have always booked early to be sure of having our preferred accommodation (usually book it with the 10% early booking discount which may have expired by now). It is also worth booking ski school on popular dates particularly if you want morning lessons.

A snowHead

@Wolvo, Can you goto Italy instead over half term?

A snowHead

When we drove back from Saisies this last weekend my daughter and family skied till about 2, then they took rented gear back, we had a snack and did some last minute shopping and drove back after the bulk of the traffic. That's another option. We stopped overnight in Troyes then finished the journey up to Calais on Sunday. It worked very well - and generally the Saturday changeover day is a quieter day to ski. On busy changeover days you really do need to avoid arriving in resort about 4 - 5 or leaving first thing in the morning. In my experience Easter just isn't crowded at all - either on the slopes or on the roads. Perhaps resorts with masses of British visitors get crowded, but not Les Saisies because the French have given up and shops like Decathlon are full of camping and hunting gear, and beach stuff!

Popular ski school times and all the best accommodation will already be pretty fully booked for this coming half term. Lessons are cheaper at Easter and accommodation MUCH cheaper! Easter makes for a good last-minute option - and don't write off Les Saisies, which might well be fine. I've not been to Montgenevre, but it looks good too.

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@Wolvo, If your budget is unlimited, or you don't mind not being being in a good location then leave it as late as you want for Feb. I'd always personally book about 12 months earlier (but do DIY).

We've always driven on the Friday to get a lot of mileage under our belts. However, getting on the road much later than 7am on the Saturday will cost you (unless you're really close to your resort).

We've gone both at Feb half term and Easter. Feb is a horrendous drive, more expensive and more crowded. While Easter is still busy, French schools are not off and most of the French wouldn't dream of skiing (rather, head to the beach). The ones I've seen skiing have rocked up for the weekend - and usually due to a new dump of snow!

Accommodation in Easter is cheaper but this is probably the only area where you'll save. Although it sounds like ski school may be cheaper too.

I'd much rather decide and book last minute for Easter than Feb.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

We were restricted to school holidays like so many for years and after our last family trip in Feb 2020 I swore never again! Just too busy in the roads and too busy in the slopes to fully enjoy.

We did Les Saisies staying in Bisanne 1500 one Christmas, was one of the best holidays we ever had but it was quite busy. It’s a lovely area to ski.

If I were in your shoes I’d definitely skip Feb and plan options for Easter

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We have always booked early for Easter to get early booking discounts of 10% and to guarantee our first choice of accommodation particularly for the first week of the Easter hols which tends to be busier - I think that is 30/3 this year. In Montgenevre there are only three self catering residences with pools. Whilst the slopes are not busy at Easter the residences do fill up with Brits, Belgians and Dutch. I think Le Napoleon is better than the other two so would not leave it that late to book unless you don't mind what accommodation you end up in.

Whilst snow can never be guaranteed if you look at the last 15 years Montgenevre has always been open at Easter even in years like 2011 when places like the Grand Massif were really struggling. Montgenevre tends not to get the highest snow depths but it often snows there in early April when it might be raining in lower resorts like Morzine. It has a good proportion of high north facing slopes.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

We have lived in France for 12 years and always skied on Feb. half term (sometimes in Italy), including 5 years in LS.

I think certain Christmas weeks have been worse than half-term, for two reasons: Everyone in France travels for Christmas, whether or not they're skiing, so the main roads are all clogged, and because the snow is generally fickle then, stations where the snow is good are slammed.

As @kettonskimum says, if you can make it to Beaune or Dijon or Macon (if you're heading to Chambery) Friday evening (3 hours south of Paris), take a cheap hotel, get on the road by 7 Saturday morning, you're golden. You get in trouble if you aren't well out of Ile de France by 7 a.m or even earlier. Of course if the roads are snowed up then all bets are off. There's always the Bison Futé website to tell you what horrors to expect. And get a Telepeage dongle! https://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/previsions-detaillees,10740.html

Once you're at the station, just make sure you're skiing BEFORE the ESF roundup. If you can, get the first chairs or bubble lifts by 9 a.m., then, head for the farthest reaches of the station (in LS, that's the section over by Hauteluce), have an early lunch, ski from 12-2 when everyone else is eating...

On the return home, either bail Friday evening/late afternoon and do trip in 2 days again, or ski until midafteroon. If you leave a station like LS at 10 a.m. you are guaranteed to hit traffic before you get to the A40 and A6, then for sure in Burgundy...

After all it is free

we've never been in a residence with a pool. I don't go to swimming pools in the UK any more and though there's a lovely public pool in Saisies I've never been in it! For me, whilst good location in relation to slopes/ski school is important, the actual accommodation itself isn't. I'm used to camping and boats and don't need luxury or modern fitments. As long as the water is hot and the shower works, a bathroom "in need of refurbishment" does me fine! Sometimes people assume smaller resorts, not well known to UK skiers, won't be as crowded as the 3V etc. That's a blinkered sort of a view - Les Saisies was always far too busy for me to ski at New Year (when we were almost always there) or half term. I would prefer to do some walks, or cross-country skiing, or just chill. Christmas was better than New Year, but still too busy for us, spoilt as we were. But it was never crowded at Easter. Last Easter, even though after a terrible season by no means all the slopes were open, lift queues were almost non-existent because it's an overwhelmingly French resort. When our kids were little we took them out of school and skied in cheapest January weeks. I suspect that if we'd been stuck with school holidays, as people are now, we'd never have got into the skiing habit. Not just because of cost, though that was an issue, but because lift queues and crowded slopes are not enjoyable. Much of the time we skied in the Espace Diamant we had whole lifts and slopes to ourselves. I've never understood why ski pass prices don't reflect elasticities of demand. Imagine if flight prices were the same on Saturdays in February as on Tuesdays in mid January?

Pasigal's advice is good - though I don't think the Hauteluce sector (goes down low, and with two very slow chairs) is the best to get away from it all. N D de B and Praz sur Arly are good bets. There are some new, faster chairs (and the new Bellasta lift area in Saisies is good, too). If you think sensibly about driving times (as he suggests) you can miss the worst of the traffic whereas travelling by air, especially on a package holiday, you are entirely dependent on the arrangements made by others!

If I were determined to ski at half term now it would definitely be Italy! Probably flying and renting a car.

I could manage without a pool but a jacuzzi does wonders for tired legs after a day keeping up with my 18 year old on the slopes. There are other advantages of higher end residences such as end of stay cleaning being included.

We went to Les Saisies at christmas two years ago and the only lift queue I recall was for the Mont Bisane chair. One did have to book for the most popular mountain restaurants but there were other places that you could just turn up to. Parts of Notre Dame de Bellecombe were deserted. We had a great week but were very lucky with the snow. Everything was open down to Praz sur Arly.

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^^Sorry, meant to refer to the Bellasta chair. You're right, Hauteluce itself can be a trap, although in the past I've enjoyed those runs when everywhere else was crowded. And you're absolutely right about Italy at half-term.@pam w,

The pool in LS is really nice but it's just a few degrees too cold. I think that was done on purpose to keep the crowds away. Far more enjoyable is the Megeve pool/spa.

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I'd heard that pool was a bit chilly - one of the main reasons I've never been. The pools in some of the residences are a bit chilly too, by all accounts. But I don't like spas/saunas/hot tubs/sitting in other people's bodily fluids anyway so I'm not in the market for such facilities!

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I'm not particularly bothered about a pool, but my kids (8,11) like it, so added bonus if there happens to be one.

Just thinking about Easter, a couple of you mentioned booking later depending on snow conditions. I can see somewhere like Les Saisies would be very quiet, but for the resorts with more UK skiers, how late would you risk leaving it to book? Usually we'd have booked by now - the only reason we haven't is that we weren't going to ski this season!

@snowymum, I've been having a look at accommodation in Montgenevre. There's some near the Chalvet lift, but is it easy enough to get over to the Gondrans sector, or is it better to stay more central?

Are there any other resorts that we should consider for Easter? Definitely want wide, rolling pistes that are good for building confidence. We enjoyed La Plagne a few years ago, so that could be another option.

You could probably book a week beforehand in most resorts, as long as you weren't pernickety about accommodation. If you wanted ski school, that might need more forward planning. I only booked about 10 days before for our Christmas accommodation in Les Saisies.

You know it makes sense.

@Wolvo, Le Napoleon is my favourite as its newer and opposite the front de neige/north facing slopes.

Chalet des Dolines and Le hameau des airelles are older and in an area called hameau d'obelisque which has a nice deli shop but is a short walk from the main village. You can ski to and from the door there but coming back you need to ski down the south facing side which can be slushy in the afternoon late season.

We have stayed in all these places over the years.

You could also consider Les Arcs.

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Les Saisies advice

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